(Disclaimer: I received this product directly from Logitech for review)
I live with the muscle-wasting condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy so accessing technology is a challenge. I’ve always chosen to use the iconic Logitech G502 HERO wired mouse, its focus on professional gaming ultimately created a mouse ideal for accessibility.
The Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED gaming mouse keeps the exact features of the original whilst integrating advanced wireless technology which certainly improves usability. With a range of innovations, the gaming experience is comparable or even better to wired mice.
I cannot type using a keyboard so my mouse has to be multifunctional, reliable and precise. I have an unconventional method of controlling the mouse, my fingers rest on top of it. My right-hand handles movement whilst my left hand is ideally positioned for clicking. The targeting trigger button has revolutionised the way I control my PC, giving me easy access to a button using my ring finger without too much effort.
Build
The G502 LIGHTSPEED definitely has a robust feel to it, built using quality materials, the exoskeleton feels durable without increasing weight.
The rubber side grips are textured so even during intense usage you can guarantee that you will not miss a shot due to finger slippage.
The curved ergonomic design including the thumb rest positions your fingers without awkward grip to access the 3 side buttons.
The wireless dongle is small but it doesn’t feel flimsy as it connects well to the USB slot. It’s prone to being lost however the mouse has a thoughtful storage slot underneath.
Features
My favourite feature of the G502 LIGHTSPEED is the 11 programmable buttons, not just because of the number of button combinations available but with the intuitive positioning and precise shape of the buttons. The primary button has a concave ergonomic design, it helps my finger to comfortably press the button from any angle.
The buttons are also designed with a metal spring tensioning system, meaning I expend less energy because the in-built actuator ensures fast and consistent clicks with the least amount of pressure. The G4 and G5 side buttons are slightly difficult to press as they are thinner however that is probably due to my control method.
The innovative hyper-fast scroll wheel design has 2 fantastic modes: a notched scroll mode for precise control or a fast fluid scrolling mode which can be changed with a click of a button.
The scroll wheel incorporates 2 side buttons, these buttons are useful for me due to the close proximity to the main buttons. I have assigned the secondary click to the right button which ensures less finger movement. The scroll wheel has a textured rubber coating which provides greater grip in comparison to the metal scroll wheel in the wired G502.
For further granular control over your experience, Logitech provides you with a set of 6 weights with slots on the base positioned strategically for you to discover your optimal balance configuration. It’s definitely useful because without any weights the mouse can feel too sensitive.
Technology
The HERO 16K tracking sensor allows vastly increased DPI speeds whilst keeping precision and responsiveness so I can move the cursor around the whole screen with tiny movements.
The LIGHTSPEED wireless technology solves connectivity or latency problems so there’s no noticeable difference from a wired connection. The absence of the wire and 7-gram weight reduction makes mouse travel smoother. It helps me to conserve energy so I can focus on gaming rather than fatigue.
The battery life is amazing, you get up to 60-hour usage from one charge and a 5-minute quick charge for 2.5 hours use. The mouse is compatible with the POWERPLAY wireless charging mat which allows a constant energy flow without the hassle of remembering where the charging lead is.
The LIGHTSYNC RGB lighting system can be fully-customizable to meet your lighting style, it increases immersion as the lights can intelligently react to your gameplay, audio, or screen colour.
G HUB Software
The beauty of G HUB is that you have a huge range of options to choose the right button assignments or create your own macros. To customise button assignments, control DPI sensitivity, create profiles, adjust lighting features and more the G502 LIGHTSPEED mouse comes with the intuitive Logitech G HUB software. Save multiple gaming profiles and swap between them on-the-go, so you have the correct arsenal equipped to support you in every gaming situation.
The button assignment page is intuitive to navigate with an easy drag-and-drop method, you can choose from listed actions or keyboard keys and you can create your own macros. Get creative, GHUB can handle it. However, the button assignments for the top and left side of the mouse are split between 2 different pages so you have to constantly swap between them, it can get confusing if you throw in the G Shift function.
The ability to highly increase sensitivity is the reason the G502 works perfectly for me, small movements for a big accessibility benefit. You can freely swap between DPI speeds with a click of a button.
The greatest usability feature is the G Shift button which unlocks another layer of buttons available for customisation. It enables me to access my most used functions such as Paste, Enter, Undo, Cycle through Apps, Exit current App, music controls and more.
The only issue with the G502 LIGHTSPEED mouse and G HUB software is that a new update adding the feature to assign functions to either scrolling up or scrolling down is unfortunately only available with the newest G604 mouse.
Final Thoughts
Without a doubt, Logitech has managed to upgrade the best gaming mouse and created perfection, not only for gaming but also for accessibility. Every design decision, improved technology and enhanced usability features enable all types of gamers to play advanced.
Uncanny Vivek 